<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Your Hands by kylomarx</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29423187">Your Hands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylomarx/pseuds/kylomarx'>kylomarx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Art Student Rey (Star Wars), Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hand Kink, Inspired by Eros and Psyche (Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore), Lots of Angst, Sculpture, Size Kink, Slow Burn, Smutty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:49:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29423187</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kylomarx/pseuds/kylomarx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When mid-terms are steadily approaching and Rey doesn’t have anyone to use as a reference for her anatomy study, she finds inspiration in the most unlikely place; her insufferable lab partner, Ben Solo.</p><p>Inspired by @ang3lview’s prompt on twitter!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Hands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>Rey had always known her life was unfair, but lately it had been downright cruel. </p><p> </p><p>Getting into Crait University on a full-ride scholarship meant she had to study harder than any other student there: a bad grade and her entire future could be in jeopardy. </p><p> </p><p>It was blatantly obvious that she didn’t fit in. All of the other artists in her art classes had designer bags and expensive shoes: trust fund babies that could afford to throw daddy’s money away on an art degree that functioned more like a hobby than a real career. </p><p> </p><p>But Rey wasn’t like that. She wanted this scholarship more than anything. She worked hard her entire life to be here, and she wouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in her way.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately for her, there was one student who tried their best to stifle any and all hopes she had: Bazine. The girl had basically made her goal in life to make Rey’s a living fucking hell. Since becoming dorm-mates freshman year, she had tortured Rey endlessly. </p><p> </p><p>After a long day of school and work, she would come home to find dried up paints and broken brushes. Once, her entire project had gone missing - a watercolor canvas that Rey had spent two weeks working on as a final for one of her classes. </p><p> </p><p>But when questioned Bazine insisted that it was Rey who had thrown it away in a fit of rage the night before. She would often gaslight her, telling her that Rey had “crazy orphan energy,” whatever the hell that meant.</p><p> </p><p>There was nothing Rey could do except swallow her frustration and deal with the torment. Bazine was probably the most spoiled trust fund baby in the entire department, and it was no secret that her father had donated thousands of dollars to the school’s arts program just to see his little star shine. </p><p> </p><p>So Rey put up with it. She bought a lock for her door and studied in the library, painted in the art room after hours, and hid away from Bazine and whatever boy she had brought home that night.</p><p> </p><p>But it seemed that Bazine had always found a way to torture her regardless, and today was one of those days.</p><p> </p><p>Their latest anatomy assignment was due Monday, and here Rey found herself on a Friday afternoon with no model prospects. This was a common issue in the art department around mid-terms; their volunteer models were college students working on their own assignments, so their time was extremely limited. Not to mention the art students outnumbered the models 2:1, so really it became a matter of who could get their slot in first. </p><p> </p><p>Rey often used Finn as a reference, a coworker who worked the night shift at the only cafe on campus: Jakku Java. He and his boyfriend were sweet, and Rey particularly enjoyed their company, a rarity for her. She had yet to find a model she was passionate about, her muse so to speak, so for the time being she appreciated her friend’s willingness to aid her in her studies. </p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately they had both been booked the entire week, and had their own engineering midterms coming up on Monday. Finn had even asked Rey to cover his evening shift so that they could spend the night studying, but since she usually worked 4am-12pm and still had no prospects for her own anatomy assignment, she had to politely decline. </p><p> </p><p>She arrived to class a minute before lecture, hair done up in three messy buns and dark bags under her eyes. Of course Bazine was early, her outfit and makeup impeccable. Rey would look even better than her if she was able to sleep or afford nicer clothes, but unfortunately for her, that would never be the case. </p><p> </p><p>She rushed to her stool and set her bag down between her legs before sighing as she stared blankly at the mound of clay in front of her. They were practicing their sculpting, and currently tasked with recreating a small-scale model of a historical statue of their choosing. </p><p> </p><p>Rey had always admired Greek and Roman sculptures. Their attention to body details fascinated her, enthralled her. Especially their reverence for hands, a part of the body Rey had always struggled to draw, sculpt, or paint. </p><p> </p><p>For this assignment she had chosen the Italian sculptor Antonio Carnova’s depiction of the Greek tragedy of Cupid and Psyche, lovingly entitled “Psyche revived by Cupid’s kiss.” It was her favorite Greek myth: two people who knew each other for more than the labels the world had put on them, who would risk everything just for another moment in each other’s arms. </p><p> </p><p>Nothing would please her more than to get lost in her art, let her own delicate fingers take over and create a beautiful replica of Carnova’s work.</p><p> </p><p>But of course, that wasn’t on the agenda for Bazine. She looked her up and down and scoffed at her haggard form.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong Rey? Stressed about your anatomy study sketches?” </p><p> </p><p>Rey didn’t even turn to look at her to respond. “Why ask if you don’t even care?” </p><p> </p><p>Bazine smirked and continued in the usual condescending tone. “I just thought maybe your friends Finn and Poe might be able to help you, since they’ve worked with half of the class this week. Guess they didn’t even have time for you: their charity case friend.”</p><p> </p><p>Rey rolled her eyes and ignored her. She couldn’t let the little witch get the best of her, not today. She needed to think through her options carefully, figure out if there was some way-</p><p> </p><p>In one swift and sudden motion, Bazine stood up to retrieve her apron and bumped against Rey’s small table with her hip, sending the two Greek lovers to the ground and smashing Cupid’s face in. </p><p> </p><p>Her vision blurry, Rey knelt on the floor and gingerly picked up the pieces of Cupid’s body, cradling him in her hands. Rey had spent the entirety of the last period working on his face, only to see it flatten in mere seconds. She felt foolish for getting upset, but the piece meant so much to her, and she had spent so much time working on it. And because of Bazine, Cupid’s kiss would no longer revive Psyche, forcing her to wander the depths of the underworld forever.</p><p> </p><p>Rey was enraged and on the verge of crying, but even she didn’t want to give Bazine the satisfaction. So instead she stood up and gathered her things, but not before looking Bazine right in the eye and giving her a piece of her mind.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re absolutely vile; you know that right?”</p><p> </p><p>The girl simply smiled and strutted over to the back of the room, clearly content with herself. </p><p> </p><p>Rey strode at quickly as she could up and out of the room, barely even registering that she had marched past Professor Holdo. </p><p> </p><p>“Ms. Niima, are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry; not feeling well.” </p><p> </p><p>**</p><p> </p><p>Rey would have loved nothing more than to crawl into her tiny twin bed and cry for the next few hours, but she still had bio class:her last class to complete her general ed.</p><p> </p><p>Truth be told, Rey liked her general ed classes. She wasn’t the strongest in science, but it was a break from the art department, from all the cliques and rich kids around her. And most importantly, it was a break from Bazine. </p><p> </p><p>Still, the universe afforded her no such luck. Because while she had been spared the wrath of her wicked roommate, she was subjected to the torture of the only person that irritated her more than Bazine; Benjamin Solo. </p><p> </p><p>And <em> oh, </em>how he irritated her.</p><p> </p><p>The man had been cruel to her from the first day they met. Rey had walked into the lab and scanned the room, hoping to see Finn or Poe. Her thoughts of friends were quickly lost when she noticed the large, raven-haired man in the back corner of the room. </p><p> </p><p>He was positively gorgeous. Prominent nose and lips, dark brooding eyes… and yet something about him seemed approachable to her. </p><p> </p><p>Though admittedly out of character for her, she had approached him with a friendly “is this seat taken?” </p><p> </p><p>And what was she met with? No smile back, no acknowledgment whatsoever, just a sideways glance in her direction before promptly returning to whatever book he was reading.</p><p> </p><p><em> Just shy, </em>she thought. She had given him the benefit of the doubt, a luxury not afforded to most people in Rey’s life. But no, she was wrong again. </p><p> </p><p>It was then that their professor informed them that their current seats would be theirs for the semester, making the person next to them their semester-long lab partner.</p><p> </p><p>Rey was ecstatic, thrilled to be paired with this brooding Adonis. Sure he was kind of grumpy, but god was he nice to look at. </p><p> </p><p>That was until she heard Ben audbily whisper, “fuck” under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>A momentary feeling of embarrassment sank deep into the pit of her stomach. What had she done to offend him so much? Was it her disheveled appearance? The large canvas bag she was carrying around?</p><p> </p><p>Quickly, the feeling of shame transformed into pure animosity. She had dealt with guys like this before. Probably thought she was stupid, too, being a tiny little art student. She didn’t have time for misogyny; she was here to get her degree. Get in, get out. </p><p> </p><p>But that didn’t mean she couldn’t give him a piece of her mind. </p><p> </p><p>She swallowed and turned towards him with a fierce look, defiant as ever. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry to disappoint you.” </p><p> </p><p>Ben’s perfect plush lips parted as he turned to her but closed just as promptly. His face showed no anger or shock. In fact, he demonstrated how little he cared by resting his cheek on his palm and looking straight forward. </p><p> </p><p>Once they had received their lab assignment, Rey gathered all of the supplies and slid them to her side of the table, attempting to do the entire experiment alone. She could make this work, she thought, could grow accustomed to turning her back to him and conducting the tests. </p><p> </p><p>She had originally expected Ben to skip out on the work and be lazy. But what he did was far worse than that. </p><p> </p><p>At the end of the period she glanced his way and discovered that he had been recording the experiment data, and had even begun preparing the calculations and conclusions sections of their reports all on his own. Meaning he had peered over her shoulder the entirety of the class and recorded all of <em> her </em>hard work. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t need you to write for me,” she insisted at the end of their first class.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not doing it <em> for </em>you,” he quipped, packing his things away and not even daring to look her in the eye while insulting her. </p><p> </p><p>He was absolutely infuriating. </p><p> </p><p>“Good to know I shouldn’t mistake your help as a kindness then.” </p><p> </p><p>He had barely spoken to her since, and any time they were forced to interact he was curt and unforgiving.</p><p> </p><p>So Rey ignored him as best she could and attempted not to look at him (which she had to admit was extremely hard to do; he was <em> huge </em>and dominated the majority of their shared desk.) </p><p> </p><p>It had been like that every lab ever since. Rey would conduct the experiments, Ben would record them, and she’d make a backhanded comment as she strode away at the end of class. </p><p> </p><p>There was something ritualistic about it, something about their animosity that made her almost <em> comfortable. </em> At least Ben was upfront about disliking her, and wasn’t unpredictable like Bazine. </p><p> </p><p>Or, so she thought.</p><p> </p><p>**</p><p> </p><p>Rey thought that by arriving a few minutes early she’d get to the desk before him, but there he was, all 6’3 of him, writing vigorously in his lab notebook. </p><p> </p><p>Seriously, who the fuck cared about science this much? Arriving to class early? Did he also do that to prove how organized he was in comparison to her? How fucking rosy his life was to allow him the time to show up fifteen minutes before class started?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Breathe; don’t let him get the best of you. He’s not the one who smashed your sculpture. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She exhaled again and walked with her chin held high as she plopped onto the stool next to him. </p><p> </p><p>Per the norm, Ben didn’t even bother to look at her, which she had to admit slightly irritated her. Here was the perfect chance for him to strike her up in conversation, to bury the hatchet and ask her why she was so distraught. </p><p> </p><p>Instead he seemed completely enraptured by whatever thrilling bio notes he was taking. Good to know he had no fucking empathy either.</p><p> </p><p>He continued scribbling as Rey took out her own materials for class, her anxieties exploiting her currently empty mind.</p><p> </p><p>Now she had an anatomy study <em> and </em>a sculpture to fix. Finn was so busy that Rey couldn’t even cover him for the time he needed to study for his midterms, and Poe was in a similar predicament. </p><p> </p><p>Could she go to an art museum? Perhaps study off of a statue there? Even then, she knew the marble wouldn’t capture the depth of a live study. </p><p> </p><p>It was ironic, really. The only live person around her was Ben Solo, and he was no-</p><p> </p><p>Rey’s breathing stopped. Because when she turned to look at him, to criticize his appearance and mock him for a flaw she was determined to find, she found the exact opposite; she found Ben’s hand.</p><p> </p><p>He was gripping his own dark-locks of long, wavy hair as he stared intently at his notebook, his fingers flexing to alleviate some sort of anxiety trapped in his body. </p><p> </p><p>Rey knew right off the bat how attractive he was, but it was a fact she had chosen to ignore due to his shitty attitude. </p><p> </p><p>Yet in this moment she realized she had never really looked at the man’s hands, not really. They were large, like the rest of him, his palm broad and his fingers <em> thick. </em> The veins protruded out from under his skin and crisscrossed as they disappeared into the muscle that filled out the rest of his arm. He was absolutely breathtaking. </p><p> </p><p>She was only staring at him for a few seconds before his hand dropped, and he turned to look right at her. </p><p> </p><p>Fuck. She was caught.</p><p> </p><p>It was absolutely humiliating, staring at him like that. She could feel herself flush red but knew if she didn’t say something he would mock her about this until the end of their semester together; she needed to get the upper hand. </p><p> </p><p>“What, you’re the only one that can come to class early?” </p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t-“</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not the only one that cares about your grades, Solo. So leave me alone.”</p><p> </p><p>She turned back to her notebook and expected him to do the same, to stay still in the months-long silence they had built between them, but to her dismay he decided to meet her intensity. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve barely said a word to you; what makes you think I would say anything like that?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh please, you’ve made it perfectly clear all semester that I’m not worth even talking to. Don’t make me look-“ </p><p> </p><p>He stood up and Rey finally got an idea of just how fucking large he really was. But she wouldn’t let him or his flexing muscles get the better of her, nor let the large hand that was palming at jean fabric stretched across his thighs distract her from her rage. </p><p> </p><p>“Look like what, like an asshole? You mean what you’ve assumed about me this entire time?” She was stunned; there was no way in hell she was asking him now. He was a complete dick. </p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t assume shit, Ben, you-“ Instead of listening to her, letting her get her own two cents he just gave her a sidewards glance and walked out of the room. </p><p> </p><p>For reasons not even she could explain, she was suddenly running after him like a jilted lover, following him down the hallway and yelling his name. </p><p> </p><p>But even fast-walking, his wide strides were quicker than her jog. She was practically running to keep up with him. Before she knew it he was throwing the science building doors open and following the paved path down to the parking garage. </p><p> </p><p>She was tired and out of breath, so she switched tactics and began yelling at him instead.</p><p> </p><p>“Me? Making you look like an asshole? Thanks for the credit Ben, but you’re perfectly capable of doing that yourself.” </p><p> </p><p>Ben froze. Rey couldn’t tell if his shoulders were bunched up in frustration, or if he was so muscular even his neck muscles were that thick. He paused and turned, striding towards her in force but stopping a few feet away. It was enough to make a girl flinch, but she refused to; she wouldn’t let him win. </p><p> </p><p>“What the hell have I done?” he demanded.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I don’t know, ignored me all year?”</p><p> </p><p>His anger was so still and palpable it was like a pool of water, a wave of pure rage washed over her and made her shiver. </p><p> </p><p>“You ignored me first.” </p><p> </p><p>“I-“ He was right. She had ignored him. But it wouldn’t have been that way if he hadn’t made that snarky comment. In fact, before that, Rey found him extremely attractive (not that it mattered now.)</p><p> </p><p>Ben smirked triumphantly, which made Rey scowl. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be so pleased with yourself, Solo.” </p><p> </p><p>“Why,” he whispered, a dark expression in his eyes. He took a step towards her. “Because I’m right?”</p><p> </p><p>Rey looked away. His dark eyes were stormy, full of passionate rage that made her stomach curl. It was far too much to take and holding his gaze was making her… queasy. </p><p> </p><p>A breath lodged itself in her throat and all Rey could do was hope that it would help her chest puff out enough to feign some level of confidence. </p><p> </p><p>“You were the one who didn’t want to work with me Ben, remember?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mm.” He wasn’t agreeing, but his eyes searched hers like he was considering something. Or like he was looking for something. Either way, she didn’t like it. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you want, Rey?” The deep timbre of his voice pierced through the air and cut right into her, sending shivers up her spine. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” </p><p> </p><p>“You followed me; clearly you need something.”</p><p> </p><p>He was giving her a way out, attempting to start a dialogue so that she could tell him why she was staring. Hell, he probably just wanted her to confess to it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ask him. Just fucking do it, you don’t have any other options.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>But instead of submitting to him, admitting how truly tired and desperate she was,  she simply said, “I don’t need shit from you.”</p><p> </p><p>Rey turned around and started back towards the science lab, feigning pride. And he must have sensed her hesitation, because he mocked her with two little words that rang in her mind long after their conversation. </p><p> </p><p>“We’ll see.”</p><p> </p><p>**</p><p> </p><p>Rey had nowhere else to go, so she settled on fixing Cupid’s face in the art room. The setting sun cast a warm glow on the clay as she affectionately moved it between her fingers. </p><p> </p><p>Her hands were so small compared to his. She had tried to forget him, his hands, his demands, but…</p><p> </p><p>Whether she liked it or not, she had found her muse, and she <em> hated </em> him. </p><p> </p><p>There was no way she could even stomach a five-second conversation with him, so how was she supposed to sit and sketch him for a full hour? There would be nothing to break the silence between them. He was far more arrogant than she realized, and asking him to be her anatomy subject would add more fuel to the fire that was his ego.</p><p> </p><p>She knew Ben wasn’t horrible to everyone; when she initially told Finn about her nightmare lab partner, he informed her that Ben was a regular at the cafe in the evenings. </p><p> </p><p>Rey remembered thanking the stars above that he didn’t come in during <em> her </em>shift, but now…</p><p> </p><p>Now she felt unlucky. If he came in the morning and things were slow enough, she might be able to sneak a sketch in of him without even asking. </p><p> </p><p>And since he only came in during Finn’s shift…</p><p> </p><p>Carefully, Rey backed away from Cupid and Psyche and made her way to the sink to wash her hands free of clay. She pulled out her phone and texted Finn as quickly as she could.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Rey: hey, did you still need someone to cover your pm? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finn: Wait seriously? That would be amazing! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rey: tomorrow night. sound good?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finn: Rey... won’t you be pulling a double?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Rey: it’s nothing I can’t handle. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Rey sighed as she stuck her phone back in her pocket and turned to look at her smashed sculpture from across the room. </p><p> </p><p>This had to work. Because there was no way in hell she was asking Ben Solo for a favor. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first fic so please tell me what you think! I’m honored to post before we hit 25,000 on Valentines Day!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>